Sugar is great for exfoliating the skin and is used in a number of body scrubs to sluff off dead skin cells, revealing healthy looking skin underneath. Sugar Scrubs at a spa are a luxurious experience, but can be pricey, so making your own Sugar Scrub at home is a great option. This tutorial shows you how easy it is to enjoy your own at-home spa treatment.

I had a wonderful few days in Scottsdale at Mom 2.0 last week. I spent a fair amount of time in the sun and in the pool, which was very apparent to me when I looked in the mirror yesterday. I knew I had remembered my sunblock and I always moisturize before going to bed, but the dry Arizona heat will do a number on your skin if you're not adequately prepared. So along with a day of catching up on sleep, I decided to give myself a sugar scrub facial.

One of the sponsors at Mom 2.0 was Sugar in the Raw. They were handing out samples of all of their products, which I gladly accepted. I took a few bottles of liquid Sugar in the Raw and Agave in the Raw, as well as several bags of the original turbinado style sugar... organic, of course. I got even more of their products on check-out day when bloggers who were flying started running out of room in their suitcases.

Little tip... driving there means you get to take all the goodies home. :)

With so much sugar, I thought I should make a bunch of sweet treats, but after seeing the dry appearance of my face, I thought I'd use the first bag of Sugar in the Raw for an at-home spa treatment.

Benefits of a Sugar Scrub

Sugar is a natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the environment into the skin. So when you apply products with sugar onto your skin, they'll actually help hydrate your skin and keep moisture in.

Sugar is a also natural source of glycolic acid, an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) that penetrates the skin and breaks down the "glue" that bonds skin cells. This, in turn, encourages cell turnover and gives you fresher, younger-looking skin. Because glycolic acid exfoliates the top layer of skin, it's very important to always follow with a sunscreen, even if it's cloudy out.

Sugar scrubs also have a few benefits over salt scrubs. For one, small sugar granules are generally gentler than salt, which can cause microscopic tears in the skin. Also, because of the natural humectant properties mentioned above, these scrubs are more hydrating than salt scrubs, which can strip skin of natural oils.

How to Make Your Own Sugar Scrub at Home

Did you know that your skin is your largest organ? It protects all of your insides from the harmful outside world, so you should treat it right. Make sure that you use the best ingredients on your skin, especially on your face. Along with organic cane Sugar in the Raw, I used organic lemons from Trader Joe's and Portland Farmland Honey from BeeLocal Honey.

It doesn't take much to cover large areas of your body, but since you'll be doing this at home on your own, I recommend doing different areas at one time; for instance, you might want to do your face, neck, chest, and arms first, then come back after a shower to do the legs. The measurements below cover one of those two options.

Measurements:

1/3 cup Sugar in the Raw Organic Cane Sugar

1/2 of one organic lemon

1 tsp honey

Optional: You can also add in a drop of your favorite essential oil, such as lavender or jasmine.

The consistency of your scrub should be a little runny as you're going to be wanting to spread it all over your body. Because of the consistency, there is a sure chance it will drip. You'll definitely be wanting to scrub yourself in a tub. That will make it easy to rinse off after scrubbing, too.

Scrub all over, taking care to do a little extra scrubbing and sugarfying the areas that show age and dryness more, such as your elbows and knees. Bonus: scrubbing your legs with sugar makes shaving them a LOT easier.

Make sure to go easy when scrubbing your face and neck. The sugar granules are coarse and need to be rubbed a little more gently in those areas. And one other thing... whatever you do, don't like your lips. You'll be SO tempted to lick your whole face!